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Videogames play an important role in Olympic shot-putter Reese Hoffa's training, but not the way you might think.

Considered a favorite to win the gold medal for his sport at the Beijing Olympics in August, Hoffa doesn't play games to increase his stamina, his reaction time or even his hand-eye coordination. Instead, he retreats to the "man cave" above his garage and plays videogames to keep from hurting himself.

"For almost two years I had to keep my skateboarding habit a secret from my coach," explains Hoffa (pictured above). A quick trip to the skate park could easily result in an injury that might prevent Hoffa from maintaining his position as the top-ranked shot-putter in the world. "I'm a really active guy, so I use gaming to keep me busy, just not physically," says Hoffa.

Although he's a devoted gamer, Hoffa hasn't made the jump to next-gen systems yet. "Once I find four games on the next system that I really like, then I'll buy the system," he says. "The PS3 is a little bit newer system, so there's not quite as many cool games for it yet."

He may change his mind when Metal Gear Solid 4 is released, however. Hoffa says the series' blending of story with gameplay is what makes him such a huge fan.

"It's amazing how they can keep that Metal Gear story going. When that game came out, there was nothing that could compare with it. I still play it. It just never gets old," he says.

Amid much protest over Chinese human rights treatment, the city of San Francisco is a hot-spot of controversy as the Olympic torch visits the city. Here's a look at some of the 80 people who will get a chance to carry the torch through San Francisco including former Dallas Cowboy Herschel Walker and former mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown Jr.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Protesters angry about China's human rights record and its recent actions in Tibet scuffled with police and made attempts to grab the Olympic torch and douse it with a fire extinguisher Sunday.

Hundreds of police officers guarded the 31-mile relay and flanked torchbearers in an effort to limit disruptions by pro-Tibet campaigners. At least 35 people have been arrested for public disorder offenses, the Metropolitan Police said.

Crowds were lining the route across the city, many waving Tibetan flags and "Free Tibet" banners.

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Welcome to Olympic Updates, my continuing blog to following the Olympic Games. Founded in 2007, I have enjoyed providing news and information on the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and I look forward to keeping you up to date on the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.